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Could you turn down an offer of $1.5 million for one day’s work?

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That’s exactly what British actor Ian McKellen did, according to an interview he gave recently to The Daily Mail.

“I was offered $1.5 million to marry a very famous couple in California,” the 77-year-old actor said.

So why did he refuse the deal?

An unusual request

The star would have had to dress up as Gandalf, the character he famously played in the movie adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

The request reportedly came from the billionaire founder of online music company Napster, Sean Parker, who married his wife in an elaborate Lord of the Rings-themed wedding in 2013 rumoured to have cost $10 million.

McKellen didn’t know who was behind the offer – “He was a very rich man, that’s all I know,” but says he doesn’t regret passing on the offer: “I said, ‘I am sorry. Gandalf doesn’t do weddings,’” adding: “I don’t go dressing up – except in plays and things.”

Sir Ian would have actually been able to officiate the ceremony though. He is a registered celebrant, even marrying his friend and X-Men co-star Sir Patrick Stewart to his wife Sunny Ozell in 2013.

Lauren is a journalist for villages.com.au, agedcare101 and The Donaldson Sisters. Growing up in a big family in small town communities, she has always had a love for the written word, joining her local library at the age of six months. With over eight years' experience in writing and editing, she is a keen follower of news and current affairs with a nose for a good story.


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